Closure



I va 4.0 30.

V fig' 24 3/ Feb. 15, 193s.

H. A. sTRELow 2,108,238

CLOSURE "Filed sept. 2e, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 l INVENTOR. /0 2 \23/ "/3'/9 BY# www ATTORNEY.

Feb. 15, 193s. H, A, SfRELOW 2,108,238'

Z' INVENTOR.

` BY I {zg l,

ATTORNEY.

Perepte'd Feb. 1s, 193s UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, .y escasas' Henry A. Strelow, Mllwaukeq'Wis., assigner tc The HeilCo., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application septemberzo, i936, serial No. 'masas f I 1a claims.

. My :resent invention relates in general to irnprovements in the artoi' manufacturing and of sealing receptacles, andV relates morespecifically to improvements in the construction and opera.- 4tion ofclosures for the manhole or inspection yopenings of tanks or the like.

Generally defined, an object of the present invention is to f provide animproved closure of simplified construction which will effectively seall0 the manhole or inspection opening oi a vehicular tank or similarreceptacle.

Many types' of covers have heretofore been utilized in the. endeavor toeffectsealing of the manholes or inspection of openings of vehiculartanks for transporting ,and dispensing liquids such as gasoline, oil,and milk; but none of these prior closures are entirely satisiactory..f-Most of the prior manhole covers that provide effective seals, aretoo complicated, and the simpler types do not aord tight' closing of theopenings at all times and under all conditions. 'I'hese manhole coversare frequently left open by the at tendants, and unless they are closedso asto provide for sealing when the transporting vehicle is set inmotion, considerable loss of liquid through the manhole results. It istherefore desirable to provide for automatic closing of the covers whenthe tank truck is starting, and it is also necessary to insure tightsealing at these manholes 30 as the sealing gaskets become worn orcompressed due to constant use. Closures of this typeshould also beadaptable for use .in conjunction with streamlined' tanks withoutimpairing the streamlined appearance, and should be quickly andconveniently manipulable without endangering the operator. None of theprior manhole cover assemblages are adapted to meet all of thesecontingencies, and all of them'aretherefore more or less objectionable.

It is a moreespeciflcobiect of my present invention to provide animproved manhole closure assembly which besides being simple, compactanddurable in construction, is also iiexible and highly eiiicient inoperation. Another specific object of this invention is the provision ofimproved cover structure which will' insure automatic closing andsealing o f the cover 'if the` same has accidentally been left when thereceptacle is set in motion.

A furthenspeciilc' object lof `the invention is to provide a closuremechanism which 'is readily ali- .iustable so as to insuretightsealingat all times and under various-conditions of use, and"wherein the closure cover is adapted. tov be effectively open. landflocked'insealingl position. A v .uf'

Still another speciiic object of my invention is the provision of a newand useful manhole closure assemblage especially adapted. for use inconjunction with streamlined vehicular tanks, .f and which may bemanufactured and installed 5 yat moderate cost.

aThese and other specific objects and advan- .tages willbe apparent fromthe following detailed description.

A clear conception of the various features conl0 stituting the presentimprovement, and of thev inode of constructing and of utilizingl manholeclosures built in accordance with the invention, l may be hadbyreferring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of thisinvention l5 wherein like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a top view of one ofthe closures show' ing the same applied toa fragment of a tank, with the automatic latching device and the final20 latching lever released;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through I.the closure and tankfragment of Fig. 1.. likewise showing the latching devices releasedpreparatory to opening of the cover;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through the closure latchingmechanism, taken along the line I-l of F18. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section through thecover, taken alongthe line 4--4 of Fig. 3; 30

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section through the closure andtankfragment, showing the cover in open position;

Fig-'6 is a similar sectional view showing the cover automatically heldin sealing position after 35 havingbeen closed by gravity; and

Fig. 'I is another similar sectional view showing the cover finallylocked in sealed position by the 'manual latching device. l While theimprovement has been shown and 40 described herein as being specificallyapplied toa closure for liquidtransporting truck tanks,l it is nottheintent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope 'of the invention,sincesome of the novel features of closure assembly may obviously 45 bemore generally applied. s

Referring to the drawings, the improved closure assemblage comprises ingeneral a manhole lring i0 .welded or otherwise rigidly attached to theupper portion of a vehicular tank or receptacle '50 II- and having acentral opening I2 surrounded by an annular upperLresilient sealingstrip lj; I

a main leverI Il' swingably attached to the front side vofthe ring I0 bymeans of a pivot pin I6 L ring I8; a closure plate or cover I1 pivotallysuspended from the medial portion of .the lever I4 by means of a pivotpin I8 and having a seating lip I9 cooperable with the sealing strip I3when the cover is closed; a. pair of movable cams 28 pivotally attachedto the swinging end of the main lever I4 by a pivot pin 2I; alatching-pin 22 carried by ears 23 formed integral lwith the rearportion of the manhole ring I8 and cooperable with the cams 28 when thecover I1 is closed by gravity; and a locking and release lever 24swingably supported by the latch pin 22. and cooperable with theswinging end of the main `lever I4 and with the cams 28 tointerchangeably lock and release the cover I1.

The main frame or ring I8 may be formed by casting or otherwise and ispreferably welded to an inwardly directed ange of the receptacle Il asshown, in order to avoid outward projection of the ring beyond thecontour of the tank; and while the exterior of the ring I8 may beelliptical in shape, the opening I2 is ordinarily circular;

The annular sealing-strip I3 is confined within a recess in the ring I8,and .may be formed of any suitable sealing material such as cork orrubber composition. The upstanding ears I6, 423 at the front and rearends of the ring I8 are preferably either formed integral therewith orrigidly attached thereto, and the normal forward direction oftransportation of the tank or receptacle II is indicated by the arrow inFig. 5.

The main cover` suspension lever I4 which is swingably attached to theframe ring I8 by means of the plvotpin l5, is of strong and durableconstruction; and has means such as an adjustable set screw l25cooperable with a lug 28 projecting laterally from one of the fixed earsI8, for lim- `iting the extent of the opening movement of the lever I4.The suspension pin I8 for the closure cover I 1 is guarded againstdamage by a shield 21 formed integral with the lever I4, and the pivotpin I8 is Vrotatably adjustable in the opposite sides of the lever I4and coacts with ears 28 on the closure I1" through an eccentric sleeve29 which is secured to the pin I8 b'y a dowel pin 38. The

pivot pin I8 is adapted to be locked in adjusted vpositionrelative tothe lever I4 by means of a set screw 3l. and is rotatable to angularlyadjust the sleeve 29 by means ofa screw driver or a bladel applied tothe slotted end of the pin I8. The cover or closure I1 may thus beshifted relative to the' lever I4 so as to insure proper coaction of thelip I9 with the sealing strip I3 when the lever I4 is in clampingposition. The closure I1 is oi' circular formation and is provided witha central vent -32, the outlet opening of which is also guarded by theshield 21.` i

The automatic latching cams A28 are rigidly attached to their pivot andsupporting pin 2|, and this pivot pin is rotatably journaled in aneccentric sleeve 33 which coacts with transverse alined bores in theswinging end of the main lever I4. The sleeve 33 snugly nts these boresand is adapted. to be locked in adjusted position by means ofA a setscrew 34 as shown in Fig. 3, and the sleeve 33 is provided with a hole35 within which a lever pin may be inserted to effect v`are constantlycaused to swing in a counter-l clockwise vdirection as viewed in Figs.2, 5, 6 and 7, until an arm 38 formed integral with one of the cams 28engages the opposite face of the lug 31 asillustrated in Fig. 5. Thecams-28 are thus adapted to engage the stationary latching pin 22whenever the lever I4 is swung toward closing position about its pivotpin I5, and during such l latching pin 22 at all times, and especiallywhen the sealing strip I3 becomes compressed through continued use.

The locking and release lever 24 which is swingl ably supported by thenormally fixed latching pin 22 between the ears 23, is rigidly attachedto the pin 22 and has an integral locking cam 48 provided with a notch4I, the former of which is adapted to ride over the sleeve 33 and thelatter of which is'formed to finally engage this sleeve So as to holdthe main lever I4 in closure sealing position. As the lever 24 is swungabout the axis of the pin 22, the pin is rotated in the ears 23, and oneend of the pin 22 carries a cam release arm 42 which is adapted toengage the rear edge of one of the cams 28 so as to swing these cams andtheir pivot pin 2| in a clockwise direction to the position shown inFig. 2 in order to permit free upward swinging of the main lever I4 andclosure I1. The arm 42 is rigidly but adjustably secured to the end ofthe latching pin 22 by means of a set screw43, and when the closurecover I1 and the lever I4 are lowered by gravity, the ad-` jacent cam 28will engage the arm 42 so as to jswing the same out ,of the waysumciently to perlz'xit theca'm surfaces 39 to engage the latch -pinshown in Figs. l and 2, the locking andrelease lever 24 has beenpositioned so as to bring the arm '43 into engagement with the adjacentcam 28 and to compress the spring 38 sufficiently so that the rear endsof the cams 28 will clear the latching pin 22. The main lever I4 andclosurev I1 may then be swung into open position as clearly shown inFig. 5, without obstruction,` whereupon the set screw -25 will engagethe lug 28 and will retain the lever I4 and closure I1 in open position.At such time,` thearm 38 of the latching cam 28 will engage the adjacentface of the lug 31 by virtue of the action of the coil spring 38.

If it becomes desirable to close the manhole cover, or ii' the vehicleis set in forward motion. the main lever I4 will swing about itssupporting pivot I5 suiliciently to bring the center of gravity of thelever and cover assemblage beyond the aile of the pin I5, whereupon theswingable assent-f blage will drop by gravity'toward closing position.As the cam 38 passes the adjacent release arm 42, the lever 24 will beswung upwardly a slight amount, and the cam surfaces 38 will thereafirbe swung beneath the latching pin 22 by the coll spring 38 which isslightly compressed when the cams 28 initially pass the pin 22. Thespring 38 thereafter immediately becomes effective -to vswing the camsurfaces 33 beneath the pin 22 as shown in Fig. 6. thus forcing the lipI9 of the closure I1 into intimate engagement with the sealing strip I8.The closure I1 is thus initially latched into closed position, by theautomatic .action of the cams 20,and of the spring 3.6. In order tofinally lock the closure I1 into sealed position as shown in Fig. 7, itis only necessary to swing thev lever 24 forwardly. During the initialforward motion the arm 42 is retracted from the camsli and the outersurface of thecam4il engages the eccentric sleeve 33, and when the lever24 isV broughtinto final sealing position, the notch M engages thesleeve 33 and positively locks the lever I4 in closing position. Inorder to bringthe mechanism into the position sho-wn in Fig. 2 sov as topermit openingnof the closure i1, it is only necessary to swing thelever 24 rearwardly about the axis of `the latch pin 22, whereupon thearm it again becomes effective'as above described.V

In order to insure tight sealing of the closure il, itis necessary toproperly locate the closure i1 relative to the main lever iii,.and toalso properly locate the cams 2b relative tothe latch pin Y the closureI1 may .also be varied by adjustment oi' the set screw 25, but it ispreferable to .limit this opening movement if closing of the cover is tobe eil'ected by inertia when the tank ii is displaced forwardly.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides an extremely simple mechanism for automaticallyclosing and latching a cover in closed position. The inventionfurthermore provides simple means tor positively locking the cover insealed position, and also provides simple mechanism for eifectingadjustment so as to insure tight sealing under all conditions ofoperation. The improved mechanism is extremely compact and is welladapted to augment, rather than to detract from, the streamlinedappearance of a vehicular tanl:` to whichit may be applied, and theassemblage vis extremely durable in construction, in spite of its beingrelatively iight in'structure. The improved closure mechanism is highlyAeffective in opere.- tion, and can be manufactured and installed atrelatively moderate cost. f Y

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the presentinvention to the exact detiiils` of construction and to the precise modeof use herein shown and described, for various modiilcations within thescope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 1. In combination, a. receptacle having an opening, a closurepivotally attached to said receptacle and swingable toward and away fromsaid opening, automatically functioning means for holding said closurein sealing contact with saidv receptacle when said closure is swungtoward said opening, and' other means for subsequently finally lockingsaid closure in vsealing position, said other means beingmovable torelase said automatic holding means.

2. In combination, a receptacle having an opening, a closure pivotallyattached to said receptacle and swingable toward and away from i saidopening, automatically functioning means for holding said closure insealing contact with said receptacle when said closure is swung towardsaid opening, and manually operable means for subsequently locking saidclosure in sealing position, said manually operable means beingmanipulable to release said automatic holding means.

3. In combination, a receptacle having an opening surrounded by a seal,a closure pivotally attached to said receptacle and being swingable bygravity toward said seal, automatically functioning cam means forfrictionally clamping said closure ln contact with said seal when saidclosure is swung bygravitytoward said opening, and a manually operablelever for subsequently finally lclamping and locking said closureagainst'said seal, said manually operablemeans being movable to releasesaid cam means.

il. In combination, a receptacle having' an opening and a compressibleseal adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally attached to saidreceptacle and swingable over said opening, a closurey pivotallysuspended from the medial portion of said lever, an adjusting eccentricinterposed between said closure and said lever, a latching cam pivotallysuspended from the swinging end of said lever, andV an adjustingeccentric interposed between said` cam and said lever. i

5. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a compressibleseal adjacent said opening, a lever pivotally attached to saidreceptacle and swlngable over said opening, a closure pivotallysuspended from the medial portion of said lever, an adjusting eccentricinterposed between said closure and said lever, a latching cam pivotallysuspended from the swinging end of `saldi lever, an adjusting eccentricinterposed between said cam and said lever, and a latch pin attached tosaid receptacle and cooperable with said cam to hold said closure incontact with said seal. f

6. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal ladjacentsaid opening, a main lever swingabie over said opening, a closureadjustably-suspended from the medial portion oi. said lever andcooperable with said seal, a cam pivotally suspended from the swingingend of said lever, a latch plncarried-by said receptacle and cooperablewith said cam to temporarily hold' said closure in contact with saidseal, and a locking lever carried by said latch pin and cooperable withsaid main lever to positively lock said closure in sealed position.

. 7. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and` a seal adjacentsaid opening, a main lever swingable over said opening, a closuresuspended from the medial portion of said lever and tol conperable withsaid seal. a cam pivotally suspended from the swinging end of saidlever, a latch pin rotatably mounted upon said receptacle and engageablewith said cam to temporarily hold said closure against said seal, and alocking cam. secured to saidlatch pin and cooperable with said mainlever to finally lock said closure in sealed position. l

8. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal adjacentsaid opening, a main lever swingable across said opening, aclosuresuspended from said lever and cooperable with said seal, a cam pivotallysuspended from the swinging end of said lever, an adjustable eccentricadjacent said cam, u latch pinA rotatably mounted upon said receptacleand adapted to be engaged by said cam to temporarily against said seal,and a locking cam carried by said latch pin and cooperable withsaideccentric to nally'lock said closure in sealed position.

9. In combination, a receptacle having an open-v ing, a main leverswingable by gravity across said opening, a closure for said openingsuspended from said lever, a pair of camspivotally suspended from theswinging end of said lever, an adjustable eccentric carried by saidlever between said cams, a latch pin adapted to be engaged by said camsto temporarily conhne said closure over. said opening, and a, lockingcam cooperable with said eccentric to positivelyvlock said closure insealed position.

10. In combination, a receptacle having an receptacle adjacent saidopening, and a locking cam carried by said receptacle and cooperablewith said eccentricto positively lock said closure in sealed position.

11. In combination, a receptacle having' an opening, a lever swingableacross said opening, a

closure adjustably suspended from said lever and Amatically hold saidclosure in sealing position relative to said opening, anda lockingmember cooperable with said lever between said cams i'or Ivfinallypositively locking said closure in sealedA position.

12. In combination, a receptacle having an opening and a seal adjacentsaid opening, a main lever pivotally suspended from said receptacle onone side oi*v said opening and swingable thereover, a closure adjustablysuspended 'from the medial portion ot said lever and cooperable withsaid seal, a pairof cams pivotally suspended from the swinging end ofsaid lever, resilient means for urging said cams in one direction abouttheir pivotal axis, an adjustable eccentric supported by said leverbetween said cams, a latch pin carried by said receptacle and cooperablewith said cams to automatically retain said closure in contact with saidseal, a locking cam carried by said -latch pin and cooperable with saideccentric to and cooperable with said automatic holding cams to releasethe same from holding position.

HENRY A. sTRlELow'.

